China power plant blast kills at least 21 on eve of Tianjin anniversary

Update:
August, 12/2016 - 12:00

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BEIJING — A blast at a power plant incentral China killed at least 21 people and injured five onThursday, the eve of the first anniversary marking massiveTianjin explosions that have spurred government efforts toimprove industrial safety.

The power plant blast in Dangyang city in central Hubeiprovince took place around 3:20 PM on Thursday, when ahigh-pressure steam pipe exploded, the official Xinhua newsagency said.

The State Administration of Work Safety has dispatched ateam to the plant to bolster local rescue efforts and toinvestigate the accident, state-owned China News Servicereported, citing Yang Huanning, head of the administration.

Yang said there were lessons to be drawn from the incidentto prevent similar mishaps from recurring.

Deadly accidents are relatively common at industrial plantsin China, and anger over lax standards is growing after threedecades of swift economic growth marred by incidents from miningdisasters to factory fires.

China has vowed to improve safety at such facilities.President Xi Jinping has said authorities would learn thelessons paid for with blood after chemical blasts in the portcity of Tianjin on Aug. 12 last year killed more than 170people.

Binhai New Area in Tianjin has completely overhauled 583dangerous chemicals companies, Xinhua reported on Thursday, with68 firms ordered to shut or relocate.

A year later, excavators are still working to clear rubblefrom the disaster site, pointing to the scale of thedestruction, while survivors of the blast grieve.— REUTERS